Refrigerator car



I Feb. 19, 1935.

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Feb. 19, 1935,

H. GIDDINGS REFRIGERATOR CAR FiledJuly 26, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 K41 INVENTOR, mu. 04. BY 7 3 ATTORNEYS.

compartment.

Patented Feb. 19, 1935 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,991,740 REFRIGERATOR cAR Horace Giddings, San Francisco, Calif. Application July 26, 1932-, Serial No. 624,733 5 4 Claims. (01. 62 -69) The present invention relates to refrigerator cars, and more particularly to the construction of the ice compartments and the bulkheads which separate said ice compartments from the cargo The principal objects of the invention areto provide a bulkhead, separating the ice compartment from the cargo compartment, which is adequately supported to withstand, without damage either to itself, the ice containing tank, or the shell of the car, the severe shocks and stresses which may arise from shifting of the lading during in vement of. the car, and from dropping the ice ca es into the ice tank; and to provide an ice tank which permits the maximum circulation of air around and through it, while preventing water or chips of ice from leaking or being thrown into the cargo compartment. A further object is to provide an ice grate which not only supports the ice adequately even when it is dropped, through the usual icing hatch in the roof, and which is so arranged as to keep the ice and the water draining therefrom away from possible entry into the cargo compartment, but which is easily removable to permit cleaning, of the space beneath 'it.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which should be read with the understanding that changes, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in said claims. It should also be understood that the invention, although herein described and illustrated as embodied in a railway refrigerator car of usual type, may be applied to other forms of refrigerator vehicles, and further that, although the illustration herein is that of a car using ice as its refrigerant, certain aspects of the invention, particularly those relating to the aforementioned bulkhead, are ap-' plicable to vehicles using other forms of refrigeration.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a broken transverse section of a refrigerator car showing portions of the cargo compartment, one ice compartment, and the bulkhead between them.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, broken and enlarged, of the same.

Fig. 3 is a broken sectional plan of the same.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the upper portion of the bulkhead shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the reference numerals 11, 12, 13 and 14 designate respectively the floor, sides, ends, and roof of a refrigerator car, and 15 is'the ceiling below and spaced from the roof.

The ice compartments 16 extend across the car at each end, and between them is the cargo compartment 1'7. Hatches 18 are provided in the roof for loading ice, and a false cargo floor 19,

4 shown only in Fig. 2, is provided in the cargocompartment. To this extent my car follows standard practice.

The bulkheads 20, which separate the ice compartments from the cargo compartment, are attached at their ends to the sides of the car, but

they are otherwise supported, orrather suspended,

entirely from the roof, except that their lower portions are braced-to the ends of the car by suitable means to be later described, there being no connection or contact between them and the floor. By this construction, any shocks or stresses applied to said bulkheads by possible shifting of the lading in the cargo compartment, are transmitted directly to the ends of the car, so that no cracks or leaks can be developed thereby in the floor of the car through which water might penetrate to the detriment of the insulation.

The roof is provided with a transverse beam 21, to which is secured an angle iron reinforcement 22, above the ceiling 15. Bolts 23 secure the angle iron to the beam, and also secure a wooden cleat 24 to the outer face of the angle iron. Below the ceiling is a second angle iron 25, extending across the interior of the car, with its vertical flange directed downward. Posts 26, of

H section, are hung from the angle irons 22 and 25 by means of angle brackets 27, the latter being bolted or riveted to the web of the post and secured by bolts 28, Fig. 4, to the transverse. angles 22 and 25. A wooden bulk-head pad 29, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is secured to the outer faces of the posts 26. The pad and the posts terminate at about the level of the cargo floor 19, leaving a free space 30 between the bottom of the bulkheadand the main floor 11 of the car, as shown in Fig. 2. The upper edge of the pad 29 is spaced below the ceiling, to provide for circulation of air between the cargo and ice compartments, and this space is covered by a screen 31. The top and ends of the pad 29 are protected against moisture by suitable flashing 32. The ends of the pad 29, where it joins the sides of the car, are bolted to upright channel members 33, Fig. 3, which are secured to the inner lining of the side walls 12 of the car.

The lower portion of the bulkhead is braced to the end of the car, as stated above. For this purpose the lower ends of some or all of the posts 26 are provided with rearwardly extending gussets 34, Fig. 2, to which are secured braces 35. The rear ends of said braces are secured by gussets 36 to stirrups 37 fastened against the end wall 13 0f the car at the bottom thereof. It is usually sufficient to use two such braces, secured to'the two central posts 26 (one is shown in Fig. 3, the" by a sheet metal plate 40 having vertically elongated perforations 41 therein. The metal from said perforations is not removed, but is bent outwardly to form tongues 42, attached at their lower ends to the plate and sloping outwardly and upwardly therefrom, thereby forming, with said apertures, individual inverted louvers. The apertures and tongues lying above the top of the pad 29 are preferably longer than those below (the latter are designated 41' and 42 respectively). The apertures 41 and 41' provide for the free entrance of air into the ice tank, and the tongues 42 and 42 serve both as deflectors to agitate and direct said air downwardly, and as guards to prevent small pieces of ice and drops of water from flying out through said apertures into the cargo compartment or the air spaces within the bulkhead. The upper tongues 42 are made as long as possible, to secure the maximum deflecting and guarding effect at that portion of the bulkhead which is open to the cargo compartment, but the lower tongues 42', behind the solid portion or pad 29 of the bulkhead, are shorter so as not to obstruct entirely the downward air currents within the spaces of said bulkhead. As an additional precaution, a wire mesh screen 43 is placed inside the perforated plate 40, the combination of perforated plate and screen being most effective in preventing bits of ice from escaping from the tank when the ice cakes are jostled either by being dropped through the hatch 18 or by the movement of the car while traveling. The

bulkhead is braced laterally and vertically by diagonal flat strips 44 secured to its inner face and extending from its upper corners to its central lower portion (Fig. 1). The upper edges of the screens 31 and 43 and the perforated plate 40 are clamped between the angle member 25 and an exterior strip 45 by bolts 45 (Fig. 2).

The rear and side walls of the ice tank are formed by perforated sheet metal plates 46, having apertures 47 and tongues 48 similar to the apertures and tongues 41' and 42' of the plate 40. The plates 46 are secured to vertical cleats 49 projecting inwardly'from the inner lining of the car walls (Fig. 3). Thus vertical air channels are formed in all the walls of the ice tank, immediately outside its perforated lining. No screen is used on the side and rear walls. The bottom of the ice tank is a water tight pan 50, Fig. 2, which is provided with the usual drain, not shown. The floor 11 of the car is provided with a waterproof covering 51, whose rear edge overlaps theforward edge of the pan 50. Since there is no connection between the bottom of the bulkhead and the floor, it is impossible for leaks to develop at this point.

The ice rests upon a grate 52 which slopes downward toward the rear and rests upon horizontal angle members 53 and 54 secured respectively to the postsof the bulkhead and the stirrups 37. The grate is formed of corrugated sheet metal, its corrugations extending from front to rear and being deeper in the center than at their ends. Drain apertures 55 are provided.

The rear edge of the grate is turned upwardly and forwardly around a rod .56secured in eye bolts 57, thus forming a hinge about which the grate may be swung upwardly to a vertical position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, to permit clearing the space beneath. The forward edge of the grate is bent upward to form a flange 58 which may be bolted to the angle support 53. Suitable latching means 59 are provided to hold the grate in elevated position. The grate is preferably made in sections, as indicated in Fig.3, for conveniencein lifting.

It will be seen that my construction as described above provides ample strength for the bulkhead and ice tank; that it provides maximum circulation of air in and around the ice tank and between it and the cargo compartment; and that it prevents water or particles of ice from entering the cargo compartment and prevents water from soaking into the floor of the car. The bulkhead, being free from the floor, suspended from the roof, and braced to the end of the car, provides strength without necessitating holes in or connection with the floor; the walls of the ice tank, particularly its bulkhead wall, formed of a perforated plate with sloping projecting tongues, and the inner screen, prevent water and particles of ice from passing into the cargo compartment through the open space ing splash from this source from entering the cargo compartment.

I claim:

v.1. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment and a cargo compartment, an ice tank in said ice compartment, the walls of said ice tank being formed of perforated metal plates, the perforations thereof having less width than height, and the metal from said perforations remaining attached to the plates at the bottoms of the perforations andbeing bent outwardly to form tongues sloping upwardly from said perforations.

2. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment and a cargo compartment, the walls of said ice compartment comprising inner and outer members separated by vertical air channels, and

said inner walls being formed by perforated metal plates provided with inverted louvers extending outwardly into said air channels.

3. In a refrigerator car having an ice compartment and a cargo compartment, an ice tank' in said ice compartment; and a grate in the lower portion of said tank, said grate sloping downwardly away from the cargo compartment, and being formed of corrugated sheet metal, the

corrugations thereof extending in the direction 

